Mrs. Malecha Reads!

 by Janae Marks Genre:  Realistic Fiction Zoe Washington made news headlines when she helped prove her biological dad's innocence and got him released from prison.  Zoe and Marcus have been spending time getting to know each other and Marcus is trying to get back on his feet.  He has dreams of opening his own restaurant and Zoe wants to be his pastry chef.  Zoe decides to help Marcus' dream become a reality, but she had no idea just how hard it is to raise the funds needed to start on a new business.  Zoe starts a podcast to raise awareness of Marcus's and other former inmate's struggles to rebuild their lives after being in prison.  Soon Zoe is on the air raising money that will help their dream come true.

 by Jamie Sumner Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ellie has definitely never thought of herself as the beauty pageant type, but when your best friend asks you to help her out, what choice do you have?  So now Ellie and Coralee will be competing in the Miss Boots and Bows Pageant.  If that wasn't bad enough, she is having to spend a month with her dad and his new family while her mom takes a cross country honeymoon trip in an RV.  This summer is not going the way Ellie thought it would, but maybe there is still a chance that things will turn out okay?

 by Amina Luqman-Dawson Genre:  Historical Fiction One night, Homer and his sister, Ada, flee the Southerland Plantation in search of freedom.  They narrowly escape the slave patrollers who chase after them.  They find themselves in a secret community named Freewater that has been formed by formerly enslaved people.  Homer and Ada struggle to adapt to life with freedom in their new community, while also thinking about their mother, whom they had to leave behind.  Homer will not be fully content until he can figure out a way to bring her to Freewater too.

 by Renee Watson Genre:  Realistic Fiction Ryan Hart feels like she is caught in the middle.  She is the middle sibling with an older brother who constantly teases her and a baby sister who takes up all of her mom's time. And at school, Ryan is sometimes caught between her two best friends, Amanda and KiKi.  Ryan does her best to model her grandmother's belief that it is always best to find the joy in every situation, but sometimes that can he really hard.

 by Rebecca Caprara Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Collin is always ready for the next disaster, especially since a fluke accident took the life of his mother.  Collin worries about lots of things, but mostly now he is worried about his dad and their house.  Without his mom around to help keep things organized, his dad's hoarding behaviors are getting out of control.  Collin doesn't want his friends to know just how bad things are at home, but it is getting to the point where things are so bad, he is going to have to tell someone.  Can he trust his friends enough to share with them all that is going on at home?

by Reem Faruqi Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse  Nurah's family is moving to Peachtree, Georgia from Karachi, Pakistan.  She has many worries about moving to a new country.  She is sad about losing her friends and having to move so far from her grandmothers.  When Nurah gets to Peachtree, she just wants to try and blend in, but that's hard to so when everyone makes her feel like she doesn't fit in.  Starh is the first person that makes Nurah feel seen and as their friendship grows, Nurah learns that Starh has secret worries too.  Nurah and Starh make the swim team and gain confidence as they learn to stand up for what they believe in.

 by Joanne Fritz Rossmassler Genre:  Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse Everything changes for Maddie and her family when her older brother vanishes from college.  Maddie, her parents, and her sister are asked to tell the investigating detective anything they can remember about Strum that might be helpful in bringing him home.  Maddie tries hard to look for clues...what would cause Strum to leave without telling anyone?  Maddie is also struggling with her own issues, mainly that she has to count to even numbers to feel relaxed and in control.  As her family falls apart around her, Maddie feels herself falling apart too.  Will their family ever be the same again?